


Thou Shalt Square Me!

by Wadanokuni



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-30 19:43:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10170401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wadanokuni/pseuds/Wadanokuni
Summary: “Fight me!”Bucky scoffed, looking at the little lad with an amused expression.--Bucky is a dragon who hates humans. Steve is a human and dares to challenge the mighty beast. What a cliche.





	

 

“Fight me!”

Bucky scoffed, looking at the little lad with an amused expression.

 

* * *

 

He already heard that two words since the first human warrior decided that a dragon like him was evil and he had to fight him until death. Funny thing was, he wasn’t a bad dragon. Well, at least he wasn’t the one that these tiny humans kept saying about abducting princesses and hoarding shiny treasures. Okay, he was a dragon, that was the solid fact. A very big, black with silvery shiny scales dragon who could breathe fire and burn down a single town at will. He had a pair of glowing golden eyes, a pair of big wings, also sharp claws and teeth. He understood that these humans would feel intimidated by his glorious presence alone.

But, see, Bucky wasn’t even an evil dragon. On the contrary he was a rather civil one. He didn’t kidnap those princesses (he didn’t even like humans, why should he??) from the castle, didn’t steal sheep from the human’s farm, didn’t even hoard treasures or golds. He was hunting, yes, but only in the wild forests looking for wild animals. And it was for a sole surviving purpose. Same as mere humans, you needed to eat or drink to live. As simple as that.

However the rumor spread around telling them that dragons were evil, and he absolutely had no idea why that even happened. Later he found out that he was just a mere scapegoat for even more evil humans that he thought they didn’t deserve to live. Sometimes these people really needed to calm the fuck down. Geez.

 

His life wasn’t as peaceful as before, now that there were people trying to hunt or fight him. It was cute at the beginning, with a few humans who thought they were invisible enough to beat a dragon. A fucking dragon. Big and all. _Really_? Bucky could just step on them to finish it quickly, to be honest. But it took a lot of work to clean his foot off from the blood and guts later. He didn’t really want to contaminate the lake with humans blood.

So he was humoring them and casually flicked them away later. Sometimes threatening them with his fire breath, which a little effective except when they brought humans who could cast magic. They were annoying as hell but too bad they were also no match to Bucky. They had to work on their casting time, really. He could just sweep them away while they were busy chanting their magics, which was not fast enough.

 

It was hilarious at first. But, damn it. Maybe he underestimated the power of humans a little too much.

One thing that Bucky didn’t know that humans capable of were evolving and adapting. The more he fought them, the more they got stronger and relentless. They found a way to kill a dragon after a few centuries, and Bucky was almost killed once. He successfully escaped but he had to lose one of his front foot. It hurt, it really hurt him both physically and emotionally. Dragons never did anything wrong, but why were humans always interrupted their peaceful lives? He hated humans, resented them.

 

He and the rest of the dragons decided to run away as far as they could from them and hide for a few next centuries. Let them humans tasted their hollow victory against dragons.

 

But of course, they couldn’t hide forever. Eventually, a few humans found Bucky’s hiding place. He had no idea how these humans were so persistent on defeating a dragon. He just sighed loudly every time a human challenged him to a fight, which still ended up fairly quick and chased them away. He was so mad that he had to leave his place every damn time a human found him, but he just didn’t want to deal with these pathetic humans. It wasn’t worth the trouble.

 

Except probably this one particular foolish tiny human.

 

“Fight me, dragon!”

Yeah, yeah, very old and generic words came from this human as well. Honestly, he thought humans were already evolving so much, couldn’t they pick some new words when challenging him? It was boring to hear it over and over again.

When he got a better look on the human who wanted to fight him, he couldn’t help but snort.

He was tiny, far tinier than any humans he faced before. There was no muscle or even fat on this tiny little human’s body. God, the leather armor he wore even looked too big for him. Those hands were pretty, though. Bucky didn’t know that a human could have long delicate fingers like that, wrapping them around the hilt of the sword he pointed at the dragon. Looking even more, he noticed that this human had a pair of beautiful baby blues and a kind of dirty blond strands.

Not a bad looking, but still. It was both pathetic and sad to see this little guy wanted to fight a dragon. Bucky swore that he probably could send him flying miles away just by blowing him. Such foolish. As tempted as it was, he didn’t do that. He was...actually _curious_.

“What makes you think that you can defeat me, human?”

“Well, I don’t,” he replied truthfully, “But someone has to try it, right? Especially if you already caused many troubles to the nearest villages. They said that you kidnapped a few of girls and stole their golds.”

Oh, geez. Yet another stupid human who believed that a dragon was always the number one of every human's’ problem.

“And what makes you think that they are telling the truth?” he asked again. “Never it crosses to your mind that all of those evil deeds are the doing of humans, not dragons? You humans are always doing something bad and evil to your own kind.”

“I-I know that. But that doesn’t mean that you’re also telling the truth. You don’t have any proves that you’re not guilty!”

“Listen, squirt—”

“I’m not a squirt! I’m 18!”

“I don’t care about your age, you’re still a tiny human to me regardless. Listen here, you ignorant fool. You should go the village in the north, ask the people about the commotions, and you will learn the truth. The nearest village from here? It’s ruled by a group of bandits. Of course, they will blame everything to dragons. To me.”

“What…”

“Still not wanting to see the truth? Fine, suit yourself. I want to go back to sleep.”

“Hey, wait!” the little human stopped him before Bucky decided to walk away and step into his cave. “How...how did you even know all of these? The bandits and all?”

Bucky scoffed, smirking at him.

“Boy, do you forget that I’m a _dragon_? I just know everything.”

 

Well, not everything, really. In order to hide from the humans, the dragons were blessed with some sort of new powers. There was a wise and gentle hermit who apparently kind enough to give them this power to transform themselves into human forms. It was effective, that they could cross the borders and hide among humans than keep running into the hills or mountains. It was also easier for Bucky to blend in whenever he wanted to sneak into a town or nearest village while he searched for a new place to hide.

He hated it when he had to turn into his human form, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t _interested_ with humans in overall. And this was how he learned more about these foul creatures, which he found out that not all the humans were that bad and came in many sizes and forms. And in human form, Bucky wasn’t as bad as other people except his left arm was covered in bandages. He had to hide it because his arm was a fake, metal looking arm imbued with human magic and would change form as well when he transformed back into a dragon, a courtesy of the old hermit he met before, and he could use it like a real arm. As practical as it was, Bucky needed to hide it from people’s eyes so he wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention.

He particularly liked the young children more than adults later he decided, since he knew how barbaric the adult humans could be. Children were innocent, all pure and without any brutal judgments or cruel intentions towards others. Sometimes he would visit a village and played with them, telling them stories about mythical creatures.

But when he needed to find information, “playing” with the adults was his only best option. In human form, Bucky knew that he was rather good-looking by human’s standard. He had a tall, tanned lean body, with a square face, angular cheekbones, and a sturdy jaw. His eyes were silver gray, and he had a rather long auburn hair. The female adult humans usually found him irresistible, and willing to share information or rumors without any extra effort. Though the males were sometimes fell into him as well if Bucky was patient enough. Good information usually came from most the men, especially if they were too drunk and began to slip whatever they had from their tongues.

Like tonight, when he decided to come down from his hiding cave and visited the town in the north, in hope of learning more about the humans. But instead, he met that tiny blond guy again from 2 days ago in the same bar. Truth to be told, he didn't expect him to believe what a dragon said to him.

_Huh, who would have known? Interesting._

 

“I swear, Sam. He was—I think it’s a male—talking to me. And he told me that the village was actually full of bandits around. I didn’t believe him, but when I talked to a few people in this town later, I realized that he was telling the truth.”

“Are you sure it was a dragon? Or are you just dreaming? Because my folks often told me that dragons couldn’t speak. They just roared.” The black skinned man beside the tiny blond spoke, raising his eyebrow.

“I know that. Do you think my Ma didn’t say the same thing to me? But it was real, I knew it was. And the funny thing was...the dragon didn’t look that scary. I mean, he’s big and intimidating, yes. But not really that scary?“

Again, the black-skinned man—Sam, probably his name was—raising his eyebrow before frowning. “Steve, are you seriously telling me that, a dragon, who you stupidly asked for a battle you couldn’t win, didn’t look scary? There’s no way a dragon doesn’t look scary. You forgot that they could kill you instantly without even trying.”

 _Yeah, that’s what I thought too,_ Bucky snorted, still listening to their conversation.

“But, Sam, I’m telling the truth! The dragon didn’t even kill me, see. Not even hurt me a little. He talked to me and let me go just like that, didn’t even put up a fight.” The blond—Steve?—said, sighing. “But now I feel like a moron, challenging a dragon who isn’t at fault and I kinda regretting it. Are dragons really that vile…? Maybe we’re wrong assuming about them all this time.“

 _Huh_. That was unexpectedly nice from a guy who barely knew him for a day.

“I really think you just hit your head somewhere. Remember what the dragons were doing in the old wars? They kidnapped people, stole people’s cattle and gold.”

_Wow, stereotyping much?_

“That’s a very old stereotype of a dragon. Besides, we don’t know much about dragons besides from old fairy tale stories.” Steve protested. Bucky could sense his annoyance while talking.

“Still. Dragons are still dragons, they’re dangerous creatures number one in the world. I don’t think it’s a wise decision to simply challenge it into a fight with you. You were lucky you’re still alive, but what about next? Come on, Steve, you know better than this. Just don’t do it again without any help next time. Your Ma, God bless her soul, would be really disappointed.”

“Fine. I won’t.” Steve said, sipping his drink. “...but I don’t think this one dragon is really that dangerous—”

Sam groaned. “Steven Grant Rogers, just drop it, okay.”

Bucky decided that he heard more than enough to finally leave the bar. At least he knew that he wouldn’t meet the little guy again next time. It would be a problem if this guy was a persistent one and Bucky had to change places again just because of that.

 

Apparently, there was always next time.

 

“Hey, dragon!”

Bucky groaned. He didn’t like it when a human disturbed his nap like this. Moreover, he knew exactly who it was.

“What are you doing here, squirt? Do you still want to challenge me to battle?” he raised his dragon form, making himself look bigger and intimidating enough in hope to scare the human away. But somehow it didn’t affect him that much. “I thought I told you to leave.”

“I, uh,” the tiny guy, Steve, coughed and cleared his throat. “I’m here to apologize.”

That...that wasn’t what he expected from the human.

“What?”

“I want to apologize for accusing you, well, from before. You know, when I thought you were the bad guy who made terror in the village...”

“Yes, I remember that. But what are you exactly doing here?” Bucky growled, “Are you telling me that you just climbed into the top of the mountain, out of range from any villages, simply to apologize to me?”

“...yes?” he answered sheepishly. The dragon let out an annoyed groan.

“Go home, boy. Before I change my mind not to kill you.”

“Technically, I don’t have a home. I’m a traveler—”

“I don’t care about that. Just go back to where you belong, you’re not welcome here.”

“Fine, fine, geez. I didn’t know that a dragon could be so sensitive—” Bucky gave a threatening growl and Steve put both hands straight up in front of himself, “Okay, okay, ‘m sorry for disturbing whatever you’re doing. I just, well, I’m sorry okay. I’ll leave you now.”

“You better be.”

 

Around a week later without any eventful moments, the tiny guy was back again. Bucky was ready to swat him away like a mosquito, but he stopped when he looked at the human’s condition.

He looked like he was just fighting a bunch of men and bleeding on his arm. Assuming from his heavy breathing and panting, this guy probably ran all the way to this mountain as fast as he could. Whatever happened to him, Bucky knew something was wrong.

“What in the world—”

“N-Now is not the good t-time to talk.” He said, trying hard to catch his breath while holding his bleeding arm. “Y-You need to go away from h-here. Fast. Please.”

But Bucky didn’t go away, instead, he stepped closer to the tiny man. Assessing him. “Talk to me. What happened?”

Steve shook his head, “Those men, the bandits who you told me about in the southern village…t-they knew you’re here and—”

“You were telling them about me. About my hiding place. _How dare you._ ” Bucky’s eyes glowed in rage, ready to kill the man anytime. “I should’ve known better that all of you humans were all just the same.”

“No! It wasn’t like that. I didn’t tell them! I swear to God!” Steve objected, coughing a few time before continued speaking. “I didn’t, but one of them saw me walking to this mountain a few weeks before. They were suspicious and followed me, w-when I climbed this mountain again a week ago. I didn’t know that I’ve been followed, I swear. I don’t mean to put you in danger like this, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...”

Bucky stared straight into those baby blues, seeking lies beneath them. But he was ancient enough to decide whether he was telling the truth or lie. All that coming out from the human, surprisingly, was the truth. When he looked down from the mountain, he could see a few lights and fires marched and got closer and closer. He really thought that he could just kill those humans, but it wasn’t worth the trouble. Too much work to do and it would just make another one kept coming to him eventually. Running away was probably the best option and he didn’t like it. Damn it, now he had to say goodbye to his comfortable hiding place and find a new one.

“I’m sorry…I know you’re supposed to be hiding away from us humans. And I made a mistake for not careful enough. B-But, please. Just run before they get here.”

“ _Silence_ , human.”

Bucky stepped out from his cave—was—before spreading his wings, ready to take off anytime. But then his eyes looked at the tiny human, who was still bleeding and looked bad enough he might pass out in a second.

“And you? What are you going to do, human?”

The blond gave a weak chuckle.

“I-I don’t know, to be honest. I didn’t think that far when I ran here. I will probably just stay here because I don’t think I have enough energy to climb back down this mountain...not to mention those people...” he shook his head, finally giving up and sitting on the grass. “Sam was right, I should’ve to stay out of the trouble, but look at what I’ve got into. I-I guess I should surrender and accept my fate now. Hoping my late Ma didn’t kick me in the butt when she found out how foolish her son had become.”

Bucky exhaled so loudly that his nose just let out a little fire. _What in the world was he just getting into right now? He was supposed to be better at this._

“Boy,” he spoke, “Climb on top of me, now.”

“What?”

“Do you still want to live or not? I can just leave you here to die, it’s a lot easier to me. But it’s up to you now. Do you want to _live_?”

It didn’t take too long for Steve to finally decide what he wanted, sat up and tried his best climbing up to the dragon with all his might. Bucky crouched down to give more access to him, nudged his tiny frame up a bit so it made Steve a little easier to reach the dragon’s neck.

“You might want to hold onto my horns, but don’t grab them too tight.”

“What—”

And just like that, he took off, flew away from the mountain. Steve passed out not long after that.

 

It was almost one day later that the tiny blond human finally woke up from his deep slumber.

There was no way Bucky could nurse and treat his wounds, and it would be an inconvenience to help him in a dragon form. Thus he changed himself into a human and took him to the hermit he once knew for help. They were in a relatively remote area, so it should be safe for them to stay a little bit until Steve was better.

“Didn’t know you actually have a soft heart, Buchanan,” the hermit chuckled, “But I have to admit, this man was something else. I mean, how many persons did try to fight you, but then come back again just to apologize?”

“Yeah, tell me about it. It doesn’t feel real as well.” Bucky sighed, sitting in a wooden chair not far from the tiny blond’s bed. “How is he, Bruce? Is he going to be alright?“

“Well, the wounds weren’t deep and his life wasn’t in danger. Most of the outer injuries were healed and closed nicely, but he lost quite an amount of blood. Taking a long rest, and he should be fine.”

Bucky nodded, feeling a little weight had been lifted from his shoulder. “Good. That’s good. Uhm, thank you, Bruce. What should I get you as a repayment?”

“It’s all right. I’ll let this one go for once.”

“But…”

“No, it’s really okay. I don’t mind helping you or your kind, especially those who are in need. Besides, you just gave me an interesting story about you and this young man. It was amusing, I’d say.”

“Nice to know that you found it amusing because I don’t.” he groaned, rubbing his bridge of nose before he stood straight when hearing Steve shifted in his bed. It didn’t take too long until his eyes opened, blinking when he tried to see.

“Wha…” he croaked but coughed immediately. Bruce shushed him, talking as soft as he could.

“Stay in bed and rest, young man. Don’t worry, you’re safe here.”

“Who...where…?”

“My name is Bruce. This is my home and you’re safe here, no one will hurt you.” He turned to look at Bucky. “And you probably knew Buchanan already.”

“Buch—Buchanan?”

“Bucky. Uh, the dragon you wanted to fight with? Who flew away with you to this place? Oh—you probably didn’t know yet, but well, do you know that a dragon can change its form? This is how he looks in human form.”

“Oh,” Steve simply said, as if it was making sense to him. He stared at Bucky with hazy eyes. “I didn’t know you were gorgeous in human form.”

He slurred before promptly passed out again.

Bruce simply stared at the dragon dumbfounded, while he glared at the hermit.

“Not a word, Bruce. Not a single word.”

“But I haven’t said anything.”

“No.”

 

It took him less than a day to finally wake up again. And he was hurting all over his body when he tried to sit up. Steve groaned, shifting his position before two hands—well, one flesh hand and the other one looked like a metal?—touched his shoulders.

“Hey, don’t stand up just yet, you’ll get dizzy. Stay here, I’ll bring you food and water.” The taller man said, before leaving the room and going back with a plate full of bread and a glass of water, placing them on the desk beside the bed. “Here, take one and eat slowly. You’ll feel better afterward.”

“What…” Steve rubbed his eyes, looking at the man before frowning. “Who, who are you? Where am I right now?”

The man snorted, “Boy, you really didn’t remember anything?”

He still frowned before finally it got back to him little by little. Oh. _Oh._ He could feel his face and ears getting warmer, embarrassed. Then he just hid his face with both of his hands, groaning weakly.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah?”

“No, I mean, you do look gorgeous, both in dragon or human form but—oh God I don’t know what I’m saying just now. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, I will shut up now.”

“You humans really should learn how to calm down, really.” He replied, quite amused with this. “I wasn’t mad about that, on the opposite perhaps. But I mean it, you should get some rest until you fully recovered.”

“Y-Yeah I suppose,” he nodded slightly, looking up at the dragon—Bucky. “I believe I never introduce myself properly. I’m Steve, ah, and thank you. For helping me, I guess. I’d probably die out there if you didn’t save me.”

“Yeah, you would,” Bucky smirked, it sounded in a playful tone than a mocking. “My name is Buchanan, though I’d prefer people to call me Bucky now. And I supposed I should thank you first for warning me about people who came to hunt me down.”

“But, it was my fault—”

“Hush, boy. Most of it wasn’t even your fault. You wasn’t careful enough, yes, but you didn’t know that you’ve being followed and it wasn’t you who wanted to kill me. And I appreciated your decision to come and warn me before it was too late. The distant between the village and the mountain wasn’t exactly short, you know.”

“I, uh, it was the least I could do. I tried to fight them off, but apparently, I wasn’t strong enough.”

“Was that where your wounds came from?” A single nod was enough for Bucky as an answer. “If you knew that you’re not strong enough to fight them, why would you still do it instead of running away?”

Steve looked at his hands, rubbing them nervously before he spoke up. “Because it was the right thing to do. Someone had to fight them, holding them from doing something evil. Stopping them from killing you—or your kind. It’s just...it’s not fair that you’re blamed even though you didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t have the right to simply kill you like that. I just—I know I’m not strong, but I have to do something. Anything at all.”

Bucky blinked twice, quite surprised with the blond’s answer. Once again, he looked at those eyes, but all he found was a truth. Honesty, as well as bravery. Never once he ever met someone as “good” as this human before. _Curious_.

“You’re such a foolish human, Steve.” Bucky finally said, then grinning. “But I kind of like your guts.”

 

Steve was feeling better and ready to leave. He felt that he shouldn’t burden Bruce longer than he already had, but Bruce insisted him to take a rest for another day. “You just healed, you should give your body a little more rest before going to a long journey. Besides, I don’t mind one or two companies, it’s been awhile since I have guests in my humble home.”

Reluctantly, he accepted the offer and thanked him. When he looked around the house, he didn’t see Bucky. Did he leave already? He wanted to ask the hermit about him, but Steve didn’t say anything, afraid that he would bother Bruce and didn’t really want to be seen as a person who liked sticking his nose into other people’s business.

“If you’re looking for Buchanan, he’s out to do some errands for me. I believe he will back in a couple of hours.”

Steve almost tripped from his bed, taken completely by surprise when Bruce said that as if he could read his mind. Wait...did he? “I wasn’t...I didn’t actually, uhm.” The blond’s face quickly became red, feeling embarrassed. “Am I that obvious?”

“Not really, no. But I can tell that you’re looking for him, judging by the way you look around the house.” Bruce chuckled, continued working on some sort of mixing herbs or making potions, Steve wasn’t quite sure.

“Oh. Okay, then…” He nodded, finally getting out of bed and stretching a little. His body was all feeling stiff, probably understandable since he was laying in bed for a few days. He would need a little walk here and there. “Is there anything I can help around the house? I mean, I could do a little work for you while I’m here and I do need to stretch out my body?”

“You sure you’re okay?” Steve nodded at him, earning a smile from the hermit. “In that case, can you help me picking up a few herbs for me? I’ve got a little garden in the backyard, so it’s not difficult to do.”

 

The little garden wasn’t so “little” after all, maybe around a thousand yards or bigger. But he didn’t complain since he was the one who asked Bruce to do a little work for him. Besides, it seemed that the hermit already labeled them one by one by their types, so it was rather easy to find.

While trying to find the herbs, Steve observed the place closely. Bruce was right, this place was far enough from anything, quite high in a mountain surrounded by woods and (maybe) a lake. He couldn’t even see if there was a village or town nearby, but he felt safe here. The house itself wasn’t big, but the surrounding area was really huge. As beautiful as this place was, he knew that he should leave not long from now, traveling to somewhere again to find a new job and a new place to stay.

He sighed, crouching down to pick up some herbs. No use to think about it too much, he supposed, just do whatever he could right now.

Not long after that, Steve felt a sudden strong breeze coming from his right side. When he turned to see, his eyes caught a particular big black dragon with magnificent long wings spreading out to either of its sides. One of the front foot looked like a metal built, looking contrast with the scales covered one. Bucky. The dragon shook his head a little before folding the wings neatly, stepping a few feet forward before he shifted and—

Oh.

_Oh, no._

_Oh my God._

Dear Gods and Goddesses.

Of course Bucky would be naked when he turned into his human form.

 

“Oh, hey Steve. You’re awake and look better than yesterday, I see—”

He didn’t say anything back, simply throw his long coat directly to Bucky’s face, hitting him with an audible smack.

 

“I’m so sorry I hit you with my coat. I thought I should offer you to put on some clothes to cover your….your...uhm. You know.”

“I’d appreciate your kind gesture, if only you didn’t throw it right into my face,” Bucky exasperated. Bruce tried his best not to laugh by covering his mouth but failed to do so.

“W-Well, ahem, anyway. Thank you for your help, Bucky and Steve. Now, why don’t you two just rest up a little while I start cooking for dinner? You must be hungry, yes?”

With that, Bruce left them both and went into the kitchen in the separated room, leaving the two men in the common room alone. A heavy silent fell upon them, making the whole situation even more awkward than it should be.

Steve cleared his throat and began to talk, scratching the back of his neck lightly. “I’m truly sorry I hit you before. I guess I was surprised by your sudden transformation…I mean, I think it was the first time I ever saw that and...just...well...I’m really sorry, Bucky.”

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to apologize too much, it’s really annoying to hear that over and over again,” the brunette sighed, waving his hand. He looked at the blond with a rather smug expression. “Half of it was also my fault for startling you. Kind of forgot that you humans were so easily embarrassed with seeing a naked person. And you acted exactly like a virgin boy.”

“God, for a dragon, you’re such a jerk and so full of yourself.”

“And you’re such a little punk.”

They stared at each other before finally gave in and had a good laughed together. Bucky sighed and drowned himself into Bruce’s comfy couch before talking, “What are you going to do after this?”

Steve shrugged, “Visiting a village or a town, probably. Maybe finding a job here and there after I can get a steady income and a place to stay. I’m not sure, I don’t think ahead of this. But I’ll manage.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good plan to me. You sure you’ll be fine?”

“Like I said, I’ll manage. It’s not the first time I’ve been into this kind of situation anyway, so yeah. I’ll be fine. Maybe.”

“Still. The nearest town from here could take...what? Around at least 5 days if you keep walking without any rest.” Bucky stared at the baby blues, raising his eyebrow but then smirking. “Need a ride?”

 

He never really imagined there would be a day where he was riding a freaking dragon. Sure, he rode with Bucky before, but he passed out right after the dragon took off, so it didn’t count. But this, oh God, this was _amazing_. The wind felt colder and stronger but still nice, and he could see everything below him. The woods, the green land, the clear lake, everything. He really thought perhaps if they were high enough, Steve could've touched the sky and the clouds. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that now. Bucky had to fly a bit lower than usual since the wind could be quite nasty and harsh if he was flying too high, but it was more than enough to Steve. Everything looked beautiful from up here, and he felt his hands ached to write everything he just saw right now.

“You seem to enjoy yourself up there, boy.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Steve shouted, smiling widely. “This is the best ride I’ve ever imagine in my entire life!”

The dragon snorted. “Keep your hands on my horns. We don’t want the wind suddenly blows you away from me, do we?”

“Ha ha. Very funny, Bucky.”

 

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the forest not far from the nearest town. Bucky had to stop flying before they reached the town, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from the people there.

“Are you sure you want to go with me? I mean, I thought dragons hate humans.”

Steve could hear a shuffling sound from his back, probably Bucky began putting his clothes on. The blond knew better than looking at him right now since the throwing accident he caused before, so he immediately faced the opposite way of the dragon, looking straight into the small road leading to the town.

“I do hate humans,” Bucky said, tightening his belt and sword holster, before putting on the coat that covered his left arm better. “But it’s also a perfect place to find some useful information, especially when I need a new hiding place.”

The blond cringed, a pang of guilt hit him again. “I’m so sorry about that—”

“Hey,” Bucky stepped closer to the tiny human, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. “None of that. We’ve been over that, it wasn’t entirely your fault. Besides, who said I didn’t like an adventure?”

 

Soon enough, Steve found a job at the restaurant as a dishwasher while Bucky took off by himself around the town to seek information. They rented a room with 2 single beds at the inn for now, since they didn’t find anywhere else to stay. It wasn't big, but more than enough to live on for a while. They never planned to stay too long in one place after all, just enough to get supplies and money. Though Bucky said that he had more than enough to rent a bigger place for them, Steve stubbornly insisted that he should keep his own money to himself, not spending it to a mere human like him.

“I gotta earn my own keep, Buck. You’ve helped me more than enough.”

Bucky wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but he knew the humans worked in different system and norms, so he just agreed with Steve. A few days went on without any troubles in sight, but it didn’t long for the blond to finally get himself into one.

One night, Steve went back into the room, covering himself with his coat and hoodie, trying to hide something from Bucky. Obviously, he sensed something was not right when the dragon saw him right away. Suspiciously, he approached the blond and took off his hoodie. The young man struggled a bit before his hoodie finally fell off, only to find Steve’s face with an open wound on his forehead, bruises on his eye and cheek, and a cut on his lips. And who knew about the injuries on his other parts of the body.

“What the hell, Steve?” Bucky snarled furiously, eyes turned into bright golden and filled with rage. “Who dare did this to you? What did the hell happen? Tell me the truth.”

“I’m fine, Bucky. It didn’t hurt anymore—”

“No, you’re not fine. Tell _me_.”

The blond decided that it didn't use to keep lying to the dragon. So he sighed, slowly walked to his bed and sat down, hissed when he tried to move his arm. “I—I got into a fight. Three men, well, it wasn’t my fight until I stepped in. But at least I chased them away not long after that—”

“Steve…”

“No, Bucky. I had to. It wasn’t a fair fight. There were three people against one, I couldn’t just turn a blind eye.”

“And you thought it was fair for you to fight them like that?”

“I had them on the rope. Besides, I’ll live. This kind of injuries will heal eventually and I can still go to work anyway.”

Bucky really didn’t understand this tiny human’s absurd logic. He thought all humans were already evolved and adapted well, but apparently not Steve, who was stupid enough to let himself hurt in order to save others. He really, really didn’t understand Steve’s sense of justice.

“Let me get you all clean up first before you're infected,” he finally gave up thinking too much or trying to reason with him, taking off to get a washbowl from the bathroom. He filled it with warm water he got from the innkeeper below and dipped the clean towel into, squeezed it before dabbed the towel as gently as he could into Steve’s dried wounds. The blond hissed and looked hurt, but tried to keep still while Bucky cleaned them up.

“You know,” Bucky started, “I swear in the name of mighty Gods that you’re the most foolish human I’ve ever met.”

“Wow, thanks. That actually makes me feel better…”

“But like I said, I kind of like your guts. You’re probably also the only human I’ve ever seen who doesn’t hesitate to help others in need. Most humans would run away, but you didn’t. But it’s also a problem since you don’t know how to fight properly.“

“What…”

Bucky looked up at the human, giving him a lopsided smile. “If you want to get into a fight, you need to learn how to fight properly. I’ll teach you how to defend yourself. So, _fight me_?”

 

Just because he was a dragon, didn’t mean he barely knew how to fight like a man. Bucky had all the time in the world to learn many things, learning humans’ style of fighting was one of them. Though he never taught someone how to fight, he could try it with Steve.

 

“Wrong. That’s not the right way to hold your sword. If you try swinging it like that, you’ll hurt yourself in no time.”

 

“Your stance is not strong enough, try spreading your feet a little more, focusing your weight on them.”

 

“Again.”

 

“No. Again.”

 

“ _Again_ , I said. Come on.”

 

And it didn’t take long before Steve’s feet gave up. He held himself up using the sword he stabbed into the ground, panting and sweating meanwhile Bucky looked totally fine. He hated to admit it, but it seemed dragons had a lot more stamina than humans, even if they weren’t in dragon form.

“Alright, you get a lot better than before. Let’s stop here and get clean up—”

“No,” Steve said, hauling himself up and getting his fighting stance ready. Sword pointed at the other male. “I can still do it. _Fight me_.”

Bucky scoffed, looking at this little human with an amused expression.

“Fine, you ask for it. Don’t blame me later if you can’t feel your body.”

 

“Buck, fight me.”

“What? Didn’t you have work this afternoon?”

“I don’t care, fight me.”

 

“Bucky, fight me.”

“What the hell, Steve. We just had practice this morning, and it’s already late.”

“No, I still want to fight you.”

 

“Buck, fight me—”

“I swear to God, Steve. The sun isn’t rising yet. Go back o sleep.”

 

“Fight me—”

“STEVE, IT’S FREAKING MIDNIGHT WHAT THE HELL GO BACK TO SLEEP.”

 

“Bucky?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for forcing you to wake up and keep teaching me every dawn.”

“Boy, if only I knew that you’d go into a fighting craze like that, I wouldn’t even bother to teach you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one who asked you first, it’s fine.”

“So, do you think we can fight—”

“Go. Back. To. Sleep. I swear to God if I hear it one more time, Steve.”

 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

It was a rather quiet night. Both of them were trying to relax with their own things. Bucky laid down on his bed, head rested against the headboard and casually ate his plum. While Steve sat on his bed, folded his knees to his chest to support his notebook, simply wrote or drew something on it. The blond looked anxious, wondering if he was allowed to ask about it or not. But eventually, he couldn’t resist. And he was perfectly fine if Bucky refused to answer it.

“About...your metal arm. I noticed you have it too when you’re in dragon form. What...what exactly happened with your arm?”

Bucky stopped eating, turned his head a bit to his left so he could see the human better. He didn’t move from his position yet, only staring at Steve. Frowning.

“Sorry, I won’t ask about it again. It’s okay, you don’t have to force yourself to talk about it.”

“I lost my arm because of humans.”

Steve looked at the brunette, eyes widened in surprise.

“It was...I’m not sure, a few centuries ago, I think, when it happened. Though perhaps humans don’t hunt dragons that much these present days, it was such a dark age for us before. One by one, our kind perished, got killed relentlessly. That’s why you won’t see any dragons in an open area since they’re all hiding from humans.”

The blond simply listened, eventually putting down his notebook and pencil. He shifted and sat in a little more comfortable position, kept looking straight at the dragon and listening to his story. In a dim light with only a lantern as the room’s main source of light, Steve could see how Bucky’s gray eyes glowed with a little tint of gold. Looking sad and distant.

“I underestimated their stubbornness and powers. And I was careless, didn’t see their sneaky plan. They successfully caught me in the end, but they didn’t kill me just yet. I realized that these humans were interested in dragons, in me. Binding me with magic, they slowly tortured me, did whatever they desired and experimented on me to fulfill their ambition to learn more about dragons. Thought I was a goner sooner or later.”

He sighed, sitting up to leaning against the wall, absentmindedly playing his plum using his left hand. “One day, another dragon got caught. My old acquaintance, and seeing her helpless like that made me angry and realized something. I didn’t want to die, especially died in humans’ dirty hands. So together we made a plan to escape and managed to do so. Leaving a trail of human’s blood and fire behind because I couldn’t forgive what they did to me or to my dragon friends. But again, I was careless and too tired at that time, that I didn’t see something came towards me. One of the humans cut off my front feet using their magic. It was a bit blurry after that, all I felt was the pain. So much pain. But I knew that we escaped from that Hell. I think that was also the time where I met Bruce for the first time, and he gifted me with a power to transform into a human, as well as this metal arm. The rest was a history.”

It didn’t need a sixth sense to feel that Steve was angry. The dragon could see how this tiny human suddenly filled the room with so much _anger_. He wasn’t sure why Steve was so furious like this. It took a solid 5 minutes for the young man to finally regain his composure, inhaling and exhaling a few times.

“I...I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m sorry that ever happened to you, or to your dragon friends. I, we, I know we humans do so many terrible things. We still do after all this time. You didn’t deserve that kind of cruel act. I...understand now why you hate humans so much. I’m sorry. I wish we can treat you so much better than this before it’s too late.”

“Steve, you’re wrong.”

The blond looked up at Bucky, narrowing his eyes.

“Not ‘we’, you dumb.” The dragon smiled. “You’re not half bad like most humans.”

“I...I don’t know how should I react to that.”

“Just don’t blame yourself because of this. All that happened to me wasn’t your fault, and it was already a very long time ago. Besides, you’re kind of decent and quite a good person for a mortal human.”

Steve stared down, feeling embarrassed for the little praise from the dragon. “W-Well, okay. Thanks. You’re not bad yourself as a dragon.”

“Of course I’m not. I’m a freaking dragon, Stevie. I look so majestic and magnificent. There’s no way I will look bad like that.”

Steve laughed and shook his head, “Yeah, whatever you say, Bucky.” They both just laughed, lifting the heavy air while doing so and they got relaxed again. The blond still stared at the person in front of him, eyes moved to the metal arm for a while before went back to Bucky’s eyes.

“Can...can I touch it? Your left arm, I mean.”

Bucky tilted his head, not quite sure why the young human seemed interested with the arm. “Sure.” He said, moving his metal arm in front of his chest so Steve could have a better access to see. Technically, he couldn’t feel anything like warm or cold when someone ever touched his arm like this. All he could feel was a kind of pressure, trailing the metal plates that covered his entire fake left arm. Steve was being careful not to touch it too much, simply giving some gentle pressure when his fingers met the metal. It didn’t feel as cold as he thought, just feeling warm like a skin. Perhaps it was because of the magic inside the arm, he wasn’t quite sure. After a few moment, Steve pulled back his fingers, looking at Bucky shyly.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to touch it for too long…it’s, it’s _beautiful_ , Buck.”

No one ever told him that his fake left arm was beautiful before, so he was surprised. He only nodded, but he felt as if there were butterflies in his stomach.

 

Days became weeks. Weeks became months. And without their knowing, it had been at least 2 years when they started traveling together. They never stayed in one place for too long, but it was fun for the least. They both got a chance to see new places and areas, learning together about the world and its inhabitants. Bucky might not grow or get older, but Steve grew a bit taller and bigger than the first time Bucky met him, still a little short in human’s standard but he knew that the blond had gotten stronger. God, didn’t he look _good_ right now? Not only he became stronger, Steve looked really good and healthier in overall. They still trained together, sometimes Bucky humored him by turning into a dragon when they reached a relatively remote area and battled Steve. It wasn’t fair, he knew, but it was Steve who insisted that he should learn how to fight big creatures like him.

“Well, who knows, maybe we’ll face a very terrible evil beast in our journey and at least I know what I should do in order to help you in that kind of situation.” he shrugged. “Besides, I know you won’t hurt me and you know I won’t hurt you.”

Steve was right. Somehow, somewhere along their adventure together, they formed a trust that probably no one could ever understand. Steve trusted him, as well as Bucky trusted him. They didn’t understand what it was, but they felt that being together made them stronger and nothing could beat them easily.

 

But eventually, it would have come to an end.

 

Bucky met another dragon in human form, immediately recognized her. She was the old acquaintance who escaped together from human’s dragon prison centuries ago. They catched up and talked at the local bar, telling their stories to each other. Eventually, she offered something to him. Something that Bucky was always wanted. A place to hide, finally away and free from any humans.

And Steve, well, he was offered to work alongside the King in a kingdom they currently visited after knowing what he capable of at the fighting tournament—a courtesy of Bucky’s intense training, Steve unexpectedly aced it. He actually didn’t expect it to happen, since the reason he joined the tournament was for the winning prize, also proving Bucky that he was getting a lot better in a battle. But the offer was a very good deal. It was a steady job and income for him, and he would have his own place to stay, he didn’t have to travel around the world anymore.

As tempting as it was, Steve wasn’t sure what he should do. He didn’t want to leave Bucky and end this journey. The dragon sensed his hesitation on deciding whether he should take it or not. Bucky, after giving it a little thought, finally decided to give the human a little push.

“Steve, hear me out. This is a good chance for you. You’ve got everything you need here, in this kingdom. The King looks like a nice guy, a worthy ruler I dare to say, and I don’t even say that too often about humans.” Bucky gave a weak laugh, “Really, it’s a really good chance for you. Do you remember how you always say that you wanted a steady place to stay, not traveling for your entire life? This is it, Steve. And you should take it.”

“But, what about you, Buck? I can’t just leave you alone.” Steve asked softly, sounded dejected.

“Well, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. There’s a place where...an old acquaintance of mine offered a new place to me. It’s a perfect place for hiding. No humans ever touch it, and never will. But sadly I can’t say anything about it or it’ll kind of break the deal, you know.”

“Oh…I-I see, that’s good. That’s really good for you, I’m glad you finally get it.”

They didn’t say anything else afterwards, simply stayed in silent for a couple of minutes. They realized that this was it. This was the end of their journey together, after roughly 2 years travelling together around the world.

“...I’ll miss you, Buck. It’s been a great adventure, together with you.”

“So will I, pal. So will I.”

 

They didn’t exchange words when they took the separate ways in the next dawn. Bucky couldn’t exactly take off with his dragon form at the kingdom, so they walked quite a long distance into an inhabited woods. When they arrived at the safe place, they simply stared at each other. Steve looked like as if he wanted to say something, but he never said it. Instead, he hugged Bucky’s human form firmly, burying his face into his shoulder. The dragon was surprise, but eventually wrapped his arms around Steve’s frame in return, appreciated this moment before he reluctantly pulled away.

Bucky took off his clothes before turning back into his original, majestic dragon form. Steve looked up at him, nodded. The dragon did the same thing, finally stepping back from the human and took off. Flying to a place that Steve never knew about.

They didn’t say a word. There were no words needed for them. They didn’t say goodbyes because deep down, they knew that this wasn’t a farewell moment.

 

Bucky lived a peaceful life, just like he always wanted. He got everything he needed in this mountain, far from humans or any civilizations. No one would disturb his slumber like the previous one did, and it was perfectly fine. Every time, he would think about his best human friend, wondering if he was doing okay and not getting himself into a fight he couldn’t win. Wondering if someday, he would find someone, mated with them and probably had children of his own.

And it hurt the dragon to simply think about that. It was a different kind of hurt and he didn’t understand what it meant to him. But it hurt him so much that sometimes he couldn’t properly breath. He couldn’t stop thinking about Steve, about how he enjoyed his company and how he missed—

Oh.

Geez.

So, that’s how it is.

Of course. Bucky was such an idiot creature. And he laughed hysterically at his stupidity.

In the old story, a dragon wasn’t a hoarder, but they always had one thing that would be special to them. A single thing that they could claim as their only “treasure”. The treasure could be anything. It could be as a form of objects, places, even living creatures...such as a human.

Steve. Steve was his treasure. What an irony. Bucky, somehow along the journey they made, unconsciously claimed him as “his treasure”. The only precious thing in the entire world that mattered to him. Everything else didn’t matter as long as he had Steve by his side. And he just let his precious one went away from him.

It was hurting him inside, losing his one and only treasure. And he couldn’t do anything besides regretting his decision, and then kept living on as long as there’s a life inside him. Though he once heard a saying, about how you should let something you loved to go in order to make them happy. Bucky wanted him to be happy, living a life he should have. Steve probably would do the same thing, right?

 

Seasons changed, time kept moving on. It was nearly Spring when he suddenly heard some footsteps from a distant. The black dragon woke up, be alerted immediately because he was sure that no humans should be able to find this place. These years passed without encountering any humans, but why now? Unless they got greedy, that was a possible reason. After he finally got the peaceful life he always wanted, why someone had to disturb him again?

Dragging himself up unwillingly, Bucky stepped a bit closer to the cave’s opening. Listening carefully at the steps he just heard. Obviously, it belonged to a human. But how savage or civil this particular one, he needed to embrace the inevitable battle sooner or later. The dragon kept waiting and waiting until the steps got closer to the cave.

Then it stopped.

Why did it stop?

Carefully, he peeked at the outside, getting ready on whoever tried to kill him.

 

And then he couldn’t breathe.

 

In front of his cave, stood a man he once knew. Only that he looked a little different from he remembered these past years. In a very good way, perhaps. Because standing there, was Steve. All tall and broad, with a lean body and skin, didn’t look as little as he used to be. He looked a bit older, sure, that was mostly humans did anyway when the years passed. But it made him look tougher and wiser respectively. He trimmed his blond hair shorter, but still had a few strands left on his forehead. And, God, those baby blues. Bucky missed those blues so much after these years, even the sky didn’t look as beautiful as Steve’s eyes.

And that sincere smile. Bucky always loved that smile. Always wanted to see it forever.

He didn’t realize he just stepped out from his cave, changing himself into his human form so he could launch into Steve’s embrace. Not caring if he was still naked as the day he was born. Steve, being a little shit and all, just laughed and took off his long coat to conceal the dragon’s body.

“Geez, Buck. Can’t you just take a moment to get dressed or something?”

“I don't care and I don’t wanna,” he whined. God, Bucky never once whined before. And Steve shuddered. “I want to feel you right away. Want to know if you’re real.”

“Buck, Bucky.” Steve hugged him tightly, “It’s me. Steve. I’m real. I’m here.”

Bucky let himself to enjoy this moment. He wrapped his arms around Steve’s now bigger body. Dear God, did he just suddenly grow up without his knowing? The dragon swore this human practically got taller and bigger than him right now. But he’d know those warm gentle hands. They were Steve’s, and he didn’t realize he missed them so much.

“Steve, oh God, Steve. You're here. I can't believe it.” Bucky looked up, placing both metal and flesh hands to the human’s— _his_ human’s—cheeks. “Why are you here? How did you even find me? Tell me.”

“Well, I kind of asked for help from Bruce to find you. It wasn’t easy, especially when I tried talking to your old acquaintance—”

“You tried talking to Nat?! I swear to God, Steve, you’re lucky you’re still alive right now.”

“She wasn’t as bad as I thought, I think. Uhhh, but she might...leave me little scars and injuries as the result of my intrusion...”

“Steve.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry for getting into a trouble. But I just...I want to...I...” Steve stammered, shook his head and stared at the dragon. _His_ dragon. “I...I missed you, Buck. I wanted to see you. Life was never the same since the day we parted ways.”

It gave Bucky both a surprise, and a relieved. Steve was feeling the same way as he did, it was more than enough. As an answer, Bucky smiled and buried his face into Steve’s shoulder. “I missed you too, Steve,” he whispered. _My treasure, my one and only._ “I never thought I’ll be able to see you again after these years.”

“Yeah, me too, Buck.” The blond smiled, stroking Bucky’s long hair gently. They stayed together for a while before Bucky pulled himself and held Steve’s now big hand.

“Come on, let’s go inside. I want you to tell me about everything, catching up what I’ve been missed—”

“Bucky.”

“Hmm?”

Steve suddenly felt so stiff and nervous. He looked at Bucky sheepishly before he looked down to the ground. “There’s...there’s something I need to tell you before...uh. I mean, before I change my mind again.”

The brunette watched him curiously, frowning. “What is it?”

“It’s uh…I, damn it. How should I put it...”

“Steve.” It came very softly and calming, “You’re obviously bothered by something. What is it? You know you can trust me and tell everything to me."

The blond still looked nervous, but he tried to regain his composure, inhaling and exhaling before staring straight into Bucky’s eyes.

“Bucky. Please fight me.”

Before Bucky could ask anything, the blond quickly put his hand in his pocket, desperately wanted to take something out from it. Obviously, it made the dragon very much confused. Bucky didn’t understand what he meant, frowning but watching the man questioningly. What did he mean by “fight him” anyway? What—

And there, on Steve’s hand, was a glowing silver metal ring that almost matched with his left arm. And then Steve knelt down in front of him, looking up at Bucky with a hopeful look. The dragon hitched his breath. He studied enough about humans to know what he was doing. He finally realized what Steve meant by “fighting him”. It wasn't a challenge, it was a request. A very special request. Never once the dragon ever thought that these mere two words would have a special meaning to him.

“Steve…are you...”

“Will you fight me for the rest of our lives, Buck?”

And Bucky gave a deep kiss as the only answer to Steve’s proposal.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a backup gift for Bucky's Birthday since I wouldn't be able to draw something properly on time :( 
> 
> I never intended to make this kind of AU but [after reading this prompt](http://kunishirou.tumblr.com/post/157999519822/caitsgates-fight-me-gets-on-one-knee-pulls), I just can't help it. Thank you for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [](http://kunishirou.tumblr.com/post/158207778212/fight-me-the-human-said-and-the-dragon-only>\(reblog-able%20mood%20board\)</a>)


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